Saturday, November 26, 2011

Gene Glynn gets the Rochester job

Gene Glynn as a coach for the San Francisco Giants.

A bit of a surprise, and a bit of a hometown pick -- Glynn is from Waseca, which (for those of my readers unfamiliar with southern Minnesota) is within the Free Press coverage area, and was a multi-sport star at what was then Mankato State and is now Minnesota State, Mankato.

He's been involved in professional ball in one way or another since college -- minor league player, minor league manager, major league coach (13 seasons, for the Expos, Giants, Rockies and Cubs; he followed Don Baylor and Felipe Alou from job to job), scout. His resume is pretty typical of a baseball lifer -- a variety of jobs with a number of organizations.

There were a number of names publicly associated with the opening, and Glynn's was not among them, which is why I called his selection a surprise. While I'm doubtless biased in his favor, I would think his varied background will be a plus. He knows minor league life; as a scout the past five years for Tampa Bay, he should be a good talent evaluator; with 13 years of coaching in the majors, he should carry some credibility with his charges.

One thing's for sure: Rochester's tired of losing. The Red Wings have lost 90-plus games each of the last two seasons, and Tom Nieto, the former manager there, got the ax in large part because the Twins value the affiliation with Rochester and don't want to lose it. It may be the minor leagues, and the theoretical emphasis is on development -- but Glynn is expected to win games too.

It would certainly help his cause if the big league team doesn't need to use the disabled list so blinking much.